Excalibur's Seven - Chapter 49: Chapter 49

THE WHOLE WORLD WENT quiet when Eurion saw the druid. Between the cracks of their armor, a carefully engraved sword cut through Chalice's chest, too precise for any human.
It was unmistakably Giselle's sword, the gift from Mab, but it wasn't Giselle that held it. It was a woman, a Seelie with long, golden tresses and a crown across her head. A green gem sat in the center, accenting the bright vines that curled along her body, much like Giselle's.
She could only assume she was another princess. A Summer princess, probably. Selene had mentioned seeing her in the Seelie palace when they searched for the shard at the ball, and Eurion felt her chest tighten.
The Unseelie palace resided in the Winter kingdom. The Seelie palace resided in the Summer kingdom. If the Summer court was there, she could only assume...
"Titania," she hissed, catching the attention of the princess.
Eurion's heart ached at the sight of the druid, but they couldn't do anything about it, not when she was sure to be next.
"Yes, Titania," the princess repeated. "I'm sure you didn't forget that she was coming. She's a part of this, after all."
Eurion stepped back, stumbling over the bodies behind her. She clutched her daggers, but she was helpless against a Seelie.
"What does she want?" asked the thief.
"Excalibur," the princess answered. "Doesn't everyone?"
Eurion gulped, eyes settling on the sword in her hand. "Well, I don't particularly want it myself, no," she said.
The princess jabbed her weapon forward, causing Eurion to stumble back, but she barely caught herself. "Don't get smart with me," she hissed. "Tell me where the sword is."
Eurion glanced at Chalice's body on the ground. It killed her, and she felt like crying. But then she remembered something they said, not long ago.
"You're as quick as a faery, Eurion."
The princess barely had time to process the thief as she darted towards the druid, picking up the iron chain from the ground. Her eyes widened, just as Eurion sent the chain curling around her throat.
"I don't know where the sword is, but I am as quick as any of you," she told her, watching her fall to her knees. "You really did pick the worst person to ask that question."
Before the princess could properly pass out at her feet, a gust of wind shot past and a hand swept Eurion up from the ground. The sound of Giselle's flitting wings was unmistakable.
"I thought you couldn't fly with those things, much less hold me at the same time!" Eurion shouted over the sound.
"Who told you that?" Giselle replied. "Never mind. We've got to get inside the castle, something's wrong."
Eurion's stomach dropped, and it had nothing to do with being fifty feet in the air.
Prince Connor was enraged.
"You killed him, you bastard!" he cried, pulling the sword from Morgana's chest.
Kit didn't budge, face still tucked in the faery's neck. The pain in his side never subsided, but it was just a dull ache compared the agony in his heart.
"I'll kill you," he seethed. "I'll kill you, and then maybe you can be with your stupid pixie in Hell."
Kit looked up with tearful red eyes. "Do it, then. Kill me. I already told you, I don't care anymore."
The prince looked angry, but he didn't swing the sword.
"You're hesitating," Kit noticed with a smile. "You don't really want to kill me. Or are you afraid something like that will happen again, only it's you that's dead on the floor?"
Connor tensed his jaw.
"It's not gonna happen, brother, just kill me."
That struck something. "You're no fucking brother of mine," he cried, finally swinging the sword.
It didn't hit him.
The sword stayed an inch away from Kit's throat, but Connor wasn't doing it on purpose. It was Excalibur, refusing to cut him despite the prince's frustration.
"No, it's not possible," he growled. "You have no blood of Arthur in your veins, this shouldn't be happening."
"You're right, but I still have the blood of Queen Keyondra," he said. "You can't kill me, because I'm your blood whether you like it or not."
Connor let out a frustrated shout and tossed the sword to the ground. "For the love of God, I just want you dead already!"
"Then get another sword."
He didn't listen, instead he threw a vase at Kit's head, missing by several inches and hitting the door.
"You're worthless," Connor growled. "You're a selfish, irresponsible manchild and you'll never be worthy of the throne."
"Did you listen to a word I said?" Kit replied, voice flat. "I don't want your throne. I don't care."
"But you have to!" he argued. "You have to care! The throne is important, and you're willing to throw it away like that because you're too... too soft!"
"You know, Connor, I think you just feel like an idiot for caring so much about it when it means nothing," Kit told him. "Really, it's okay to realize you were wrong."
"What, like you do?"
Just as Connor reached for a knife, the door swung open behind Kit. He scrambled to his feet, reaching for a sword on the ground in the hallway and positioning himself in front of his brother.
He kept his eyes far from Morgana's body, and instead they settled on the figure by the door, the one who opened it.
"Lionel, what are you doing here?" he asked. The boy pointed down the hall, and Kit's stomach dropped.
"Kristofer," the Seelie Queen purred as she stepped closer. "Wonderful to see you again. How's Excalibur working out for you?"
Titania glanced to Morgana on the ground, but Kit refused to follow her gaze.
"Mm. What a shame," she murmured. "Well, at least he wasn't a Seelie. Mostly."
Mostly?
She shoved past a baffled Connor and stepped over Morgana's body, effortlessly picking up Excalibur and spinning it around in her hand.
"It's beautiful," she hummed. "It's not done yet, though."
She came back out into the hall, running her long fingers over the surface of the metal. "Whoever remade this should probably never make another sword again," she murmured, tossing it to the ground.
"Hey!" Connor cried defensively.
She glared at him. "Oh, great, it was you. Yeah, fine, your sword is nice. A Seelie would've done better."
Kit was frozen in place. Titania was circling Lionel now, studying him.
"Don't touch him," Kit demanded.
Titania placed her hand on Lionel's head, tugging on his hair and pulling an "ow" from his mouth.
"Or what?" she asked.
She picked up Excalibur, then turned her face to Lionel. "I know how to fix this."
Kit cried out when she sent the sword towards Lionel's chest, but something went flying down the hall and into her hand, knocking the blade to the ground.
"Let him go."
It was Giselle, standing at the end of the hall with Morgana's bow in her hand. Behind her stood Selene and Eurion, and Kit was never happier to see anyone in his life.
Titania stepped away from Lionel, yanking the arrow from her hand and letting it clatter to the floor. "Connor, take care of them," she demanded.
The prince scrambled to pick up the sword from the ground, but the girls were already there, ready to take him on.
"Careful, that's Excalibur!" he cried, but they didn't hear him.
Titania stepped forward, but he still couldn't move. He realized it wasn't fear that was paralyzing him, it was her.
He tried to move, but his feet wouldn't budge.
"Don't fight it, my dear, you can't break out of this," she said, dragging a claw down his face. "You'll just have to watch them die."
The girls fought their hardest, but with Excalibur, Kit knew they wouldn't win. Selene couldn't get hit, but she was stuck to the ground just like he was, forced to watch Eurion and Giselle try and fail.
They were losing, and Connor was a second away from winning.
But then he dropped the sword. Kit didn't hear it hit the ground, because the world was silent.
Lionel. He was there, singing his lullaby, knocking Connor down to his knees.
Titania cried out, lunging for the boy in anger, but she never got the chance to hit him.
Kit blinked and they were somewhere else. All he saw was green at first, green hills and green trees and a green lake stretched out before them.
Fells.
The next thing he saw were the people, rushing towards them in panic and concern. The others were alright, mostly, but Kit could feel the world giving out from under his feet.
"Your Highness!" said a familiar man, shaking Kit's shoulders once he hit the ground. "Stay with me, Your Highness, you're going to be alright."
The world faded away.
Titania let out a desperate scream, clawing at her hair. They were gone, they were all gone, and they took Excalibur with them. Connor was passed out on the ground, just as useless as his dead father staining the carpet in the other room. He'd wake up soon, but he was as good as dead like this.
"Titania."
The voice from down the hall left her frozen, and her dead heart beat like thunder in her chest.
"Mab," she growled, setting her eyes on the Queen. "I thought I'd never have to see you again."
"You were wrong."
"Where did you send them?"
Mab looked furious. "Away. Somewhere you'll never find them."
Titania glared at her. "You know you can't kill me, sister."
"I can't," Mab agreed. "But if you don't leave this place and go back to your kingdom, I will make you far more miserable than an eternity of living already is."
"You can't hurt me anymore than this hurts," Titania said.
Mab laughed, but there was no joy to it. "You know that isn't true, dear. Your punishment was generous."
The Seelie swallowed.
"Leave this place," Mab said again. "Or I will have no other choice."
Titania knew she wasn't bluffing. She left the castle, flickering away from the Unseelie, returning to the battlefield, which now lie still and lifeless. There were only a handful of Summer soldiers left, including the princess, everyone else was dead.
"You did well," Titania told her. The princess had a burn on her throat that made it impossible for to speak, but all it took was one touch from the Queen and the burn went away.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she breathed.
Titania felt something here, a familiar buzz, and she turned her gaze to a body on the ground, one that was not human nor Sídhe.
"Who is this?" she asked.
The princess followed her eyes to the head of orange hair, the creature splayed lifeless on the ground.
"A druid," she said. "The most powerful of them, even more than the faeries. I was lucky I even killed them."
Titania approached the druid. They were dead, certainly, but an aura still surrounded them. It was strong, even when the druid was gone, and she could only imagine how strong it was while they were alive.
"I'm taking them with me," she said.
"What? No, they're too powerful," the princess objected, rising to her feet.
"Not for me," Titania said, fixing the princess with a glare. She scooped the druid up in her arms. "Cuff them if you're so worried, but they're dead. Besides, they couldn't hurt me even if they weren't. You know this."
The princess looked at the bloodied ground in shame. "Sorry, Your Majesty. I won't doubt your power again."
"Good. You shouldn't." She looked to the thick forest before them, and felt the magic calling to her. "Gather your men, whatever's left of them, and let's go home. I don't need Mab to know I'm still here."